All around trolling rod and line

[carp master]

Would a cheap rod and reel from Wal-Mart be a good trolling rod for eyes and panfish or should i go with a more exspensive rod, it's only gonna be for trolling. Also what line should i use?

[riverrat56]

Cheap rod would possibly be OK, but don't skimp too much on the reel. Depending on what you are looking to spend, usually the outdoor stores will have some combos with line counter reels for under $100. I have Diawa Accudepth 27LC's for reels and a few differnt rods (Mr Walleye and Guide Series) and I really have been happy with them. I like 8' rods but it is nice to have a few of differnt sizes if you will be trolling multiple people on one side of the boat.

For line, Power Pro or Fireline is a good choice, they will get your lures a little deeper and also provide better feel of how the crank bait is running.

[Cicada]

Like riverrat56 said, a linecounter reel is invaluable. It is a must for recreating the exact presentation that caught the previous fish. I like Fireline, but that is a personal preference. The other benefit to a super braid line is that it will have little to no stretch. This will result in more soid hookups. I used to lose a lot of fish when I first tried this setup because I was using mono. Mono has too much ability to stretch and the hooksets were poor.

[Northlander]

Gary Roach makes some great trolling rods that are reasonably price. For long lining I like 10# Power Pro but for boards I like either 12# Big Game or Trilene XT.